


A wolf in the woods

by cruellae (tinkabelladk)



Series: The Mating Habits of Apex Predators [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Crisis Core era AU, Fluff, M/M, SOLDIER Third!Class Strife
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-23 05:47:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20003302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkabelladk/pseuds/cruellae
Summary: It was true that Sephiroth had been watching Cloud ever since he distinguished himself among the ranks of the infantry when he was eighteen. He was strong and fast and possessed of a formidable will, but there was a goodness to him that had yet to be tainted by Midgar, Shinra, or Sephiroth’s command.Now that Cloud had joined SOLDIER, it was harder for Sephiroth to turn his gaze away, though he did his best to hide such weaknesses however he could. Somehow, Hojo had figured it out. Not only that--he had shared his discovery with President Shinra, who had decided that Strife, a valuable and powerful combatant, would make a fine gift for the company’s poster child.It made him feel momentarily sick with anger.~Featuring SOLDIER Third Class Cloud Strife in chocobo-patterned boxers, Sephiroth's legendary self-restraint, and Hojo as a complete and total creep.~





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> my other story is getting pretty heavy rn so here's some shameless sefikura fluff to balance it out.
> 
> note: I accidentally rated this Teen when it should have a higher rating. Huge apology--this has been fixed now.

In all the years that he’d lived at Shinra Tower, no one had ever knocked on Sephiroth’s door. Genesis had sweet talked some Turk into giving up the code and so could stride in whenever he wanted, which he occasionally did just to be annoying. Angeal knew it was better to call first, and Zack preferred to have everyone cram onto the big couch at his apartment on the rare occasions they saw each other in a social context. And any Shinra personnel with high enough security clearance to get to his floor knew better than to intrude. 

So Sephiroth was surprised when a firm but polite knock sounded on the door close to midnight on a Friday night. 

He opened it cautiously. He was no longer in a war zone--the Wutai War had ended years ago--but it still paid to be careful. 

“Sir.” SOLDIER Third Class Strife saluted him smartly. His blue eyes were mako-bright, the results of a recent promotion into the SOLDIER program. His cheeks were flushed and he was slightly breathless. Maybe he had taken the stairs up to Sephiroth’s floor. 

“Strife.” Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. “Do you need something?” 

“Hojo sent me,” Strife said, handing him a folded piece of paper. Sephiroth recognized it as the graph paper Hojo used to take notes, torn out of his lab book. The scrawling handwriting was also easily recognizable. 

_ A gift from Pres. Shinra. A little chemical “help” from me. Enjoy him. -H _

Sephiroth had to read the note twice before the meaning sunk in. Strife stood there patiently, waiting. 

“Did you read this?” he finally asked. 

“No sir,” Strife said. “Dr. Hojo told me not to.” 

Strife must be telling the truth, or he wouldn’t be looking up at Sephiroth like that, his expression so open and full of admiration. He had been with Shinra as a footsoldier for the tail end of the Wutai War and had seen Sephiroth cut down legions of men. But his eyes never quite lost that idealistic shine, completely at odds with the strength of his sword arm and the iron rigidity of his self-discipline. 

It was true that Sephiroth had been watching Cloud ever since he distinguished himself among the ranks of the infantry when he was eighteen. He was strong and fast and possessed of a formidable will, but there was a goodness to him that had yet to be tainted by Midgar, Shinra, or Sephiroth’s command. 

Now that Cloud had joined SOLDIER, it was harder for Sephiroth to turn his gaze away, though he did his best to hide such weaknesses however he could. Somehow, Hojo had figured it out. Not only that--he had shared his discovery with President Shinra, who had decided that Strife, a valuable and powerful combatant, would make a fine gift for the company’s poster child. 

It made him feel momentarily sick with anger. 

“Sir?” 

Sephiroth turned his attention back to Strife, his anger fading. 

“Do you mind if I sit down for a moment?” Strife asked. “Whatever Dr. Hojo injected me with, it’s kinda...” 

Sephiroth caught him as he stumbled, and guided him into the apartment, setting him on the couch. “Wait there, Strife,” he said. 

He stepped into his bedroom and dialed Hojo’s number, but got no answer. He tried Hollander next, but unsurprisingly that also went to voicemail. Hollander wasn’t known for working much past four in the afternoon. 

When he came back out, Strife was standing in his kitchen shirtless, drinking a glass of water. He was all coiled muscle and sinew, moving with an animal grace as he set down the glass and crossed the room towards Sephiroth. 

“What happened to your shirt?” Sephiroth asked. 

Strife shrugged carelessly. “I got hot.” 

“I think you should put it back on.” 

“Aren’t you hot?” Strife said, standing entirely too close and tugging gently on the front of Sephiroth’s shirt. “I think you should take off your clothes too, because I’ve always really wanted to see you naked.” 

This was clearly not normal behavior. Whatever “chemical help” Hojo had administered, it was affecting the usually stoic and tight lipped Strife’s sense of judgement. 

Sephiroth gently pushed him back. “Strife, listen to me.”

“Or we could talk later.” Strife gave him a wolfish smile, and Sephiroth hated himself for the way his body responded to it. 

“SOLDIER Third Class Strife!” It was the same tone he used when someone was fucking up on the battlefield, and it seemed to capture Strife’s attention at least for a moment. “Listen to me. Hojo has given you some kind of drug to change your behavior.” 

“Yeah,” Strife said, blinking in surprise. “You’re totally right. It’s like, the little piece of my brain that would say ‘don’t suck your commanding officer’s dick’ is just gone. This is pretty fuckin awesome, sir.” 

“It is not ‘awesome,’ and--” Sephiroth momentarily lost the ability to speak as Strife got to his knees and put his hands on Sephiroth’s belt. 

“C’mon,” Strife said, pouting. “Can’t I? I really want to.” 

“Strife.” Sephiroth caught Strife’s wrists and pulled him to his feet. “Stop. I would never take advantage of you like this.” 

Strife huffed out a soft sigh of annoyance. “You can close your eyes and pretend I’m whoever you want. I don’t even care. I’ve always wanted to be with you, ever since the first time you corrected my footwork in practice.” 

Sephiroth remembered that incident well; it was Strife’s third day in Wutai shortly after he’d enlisted with Shinra. It was raining, but Strife, determined to improve his swordwork, had been out in the training yard anyway. Sephiroth had only given him a few words of guidance, but he had always remembered the trooper in the rain, moving gracefully with his cheap training sword, blonde hair plastered to his face. 

“I guess it’s not really a surprise,” Strife said bitterly. “You’re indifferent to everyone, but especially to me. Do you know how hard I work to get your approval, and you just look past me like I’m one more face in the crowd?”

He lowered his head, his tone full of genuine unhappiness. Sephiroth watched with dismay. The last thing he wanted--the last thing he ever wanted--was for Strife to be unhappy. 

“That’s because I only watch you when no one is looking,” he said. “So that no one will see my weakness exposed.” 

Strife looked up at him, his eyes shining like sapphires in sunlight. Sephiroth had watched carefully over Strife’s mako treatments and had found himself inordinately pleased by the idea that they would be bound together in such a way.  _ Mine,  _ he had thought, the first time Cloud opened his glowing eyes. But he had immediately chased the ridiculous notion away. 

“I’m your weakness?” Strife asked warily. 

“Yes. Because if the Wutai army had ever captured you, I would have burned down the entire country to get you back.” 

Strife grinned, leaning forward. “That shouldn’t be hot but it kinda is.”

Sephiroth let himself reach out, let himself run his fingers through Strife’s spiky hair as he’d always wanted to do, then come around gently to cup his cheek. “Wait here.” 

He rummaged around in his closet for the Sense materia that he hadn’t needed since the war and equipped it in a spare bracer. Clasping it around his wrist, he hurried back to the living room to find Strife standing by the large window overlooking Midgar, clad only in a pair of blue boxers with bright yellow chocobos patterned on them. In-between the chocobos were little speech bubbles that said “KWEH!” 

“You took off your pants,” Sephiroth said, hesitating in the doorway. Strife’s body was a weapon, honed to a fine edge, and it was hard not to notice the definition of muscle in his thighs or the fine dusting of blonde hair on his chest. 

“I’m trying to seduce you,” Strife said. “Is it working?” 

Sephiroth decided further talking would be counterproductive, and cast the spell instead. He closed his eyes and tried to make sense of what it revealed. Strife was definitely experiencing a status effect, but it wasn’t any type of confusion or mesmerization. In fact, it felt almost like a Fury, but without the angry edge. It was simply an absence of limits, of…

Sephiroth studied him as the puzzle pieces began to come together. “Strife,” he said. “If Zack Fair walked in right now, would you put on your pants?” 

Strife looked genuinely puzzled by the question. “I dunno. Am I supposed to?” 

“Would you want to have sex with him?” 

“No.” Strife blinked at him. “Is that some kind of test? Why would I want to fuck Zack?” 

“Hmm.” Sephiroth unclasped the bracer and set it on the counter. “Well, I don’t believe you were given an aphrodisiac. Hojo simply gave you something that removed your usual inhibitions and then sent you up here, inferring the rest.” 

He wasn’t sure if he should strangle Hojo or thank him, and decided to reserve judgement until the morning. 

“Okay, well, Detective Sephiroth…” Strife crossed the room and put his arms around Sephiroth’s neck. “Can you solve the mystery of what’s in my boxers?” 

That was perhaps the worst come hither Sephiroth had ever heard, and given that he was something of a sex symbol in Midgar, he had heard quite a few. Even so, it took a few moments before he rallied the willpower to shake his head. 

“Aww.” Strife pouted, tugging gently on a lock of Sephiroth’s hair. No one had ever been so  _ forward,  _ so informal with him. It was oddly enchanting. “C’mon. Please?”

Sephiroth allowed himself one kiss. What harm could there be in a single kiss? If Strife woke up in the morning and regretted everything, at least he would have one kiss to remember. 

He had forgotten how proficient Strife was at maneuvering in hand to hand combat, and underestimated how easily the touch of Strife’s tongue would be able to make him lose his mind. When he did finally pull away, he was on the sofa, leaning over Strife while Strife’s clever hands were slipping under his shirt. 

“Cloud, wait.” The SOLDIER’s first name felt strangely intimate on his tongue. “That drug will wear off by morning. If you still want this--”

“I will,” Cloud said fiercely. “I always wanted this.” 

Sephiroth answered that with a quick, soft kiss. “Stay here tonight so I can watch you.” 

Cloud shrugged and gave him that wolfish grin again. “Good luck getting rid of me.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sephiroth is afraid of intimacy and Cloud is not to be underestimated.

Cloud woke with the worst headache he’d ever had in his life. He opened his eyes blearily and looked around. Midgar looked back at him through a large window, glowing lights in the smog. 

He was in a very comfortable bed, large and soft with silky white sheets. The Masamune hung on the wall opposite the window, gleaming darky. 

_ Wait, what?  _

Cloud groaned and pressed his hands to his face as the events of the previous evening started to come back to him. He wished that he had been drunk, then maybe he would have been spared the embarrassment of remembering it all. But whatever Hojo gave him last night wasn’t doing him any favors this morning. 

He looked around, but he seemed to be alone in the apartment. There was a large glass of water and a potion on the nightstand. He drank both gratefully, then got out of bed, still clad only in his boxers. His clothes were folded neatly and left on a chair by the door. 

He dressed in the eerie silence. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen in the rest of the apartment, so Cloud figured that was his cue to slink out of there. Whatever connection Cloud had thought they made last night was probably just in his head. Obviously Sephiroth was being kind, allowing him the opportunity to pretend like none of this had happened. 

It was better than being turned down again, at least. 

One of the few benefits to the way Shinra had designed the tower was that all of the SOLDIER First Class apartments were clustered together. Cloud literally only had to turn a corner and walk down a short hallway to reach Zack’s front door. 

Aerith answered it wearing one of Zack’s T-shirts. It was way too big for her and came down to her mid-thighs. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and she had a spatula in her hand. The smell of frying bacon filled the air around her. 

“Good morning,” she said, moving aside to let him in. Her smile faded as she took a long look at him. “What’s going on?” 

“Hey, Cloudy.” Zack put an arm around Cloud’s neck playfully, jabbing the air with a pair of kitchen tongs. He was wearing a pink apron that said  _ Kiss The Cook _ . “I was just thinking I should call you. We’re making pancakes.” 

“Pancakes sound good,” Cloud said, trying to project cheerfulness. All he could think about was how he’d spent four years fantasizing about kissing Sephiroth, and now that he’d actually found out how fucking amazing it was, he’d probably never get to do it again. 

Aerith and Zack exchanged a glance. “Really, I’ve got this,” Aerith said, taking the tongs from Zack. “You two go sit down.” 

“Thanks, babe.” Zack gave her a noisy smooch and she giggled, turning back to the frying pan. 

Cloud sighed, slumping down on the couch, and Zack sat by him. “Okay, spit it out,” Zack said. 

“I can’t,” Cloud said. 

“Can’t like you signed a Shinra NDA? Or can’t like you just don’t want to?” Zack asked. 

“Can’t like it's so embarrassing you’ll die laughing and Aerith will be pissed at me for killing her boyfriend.” 

“Don’t worry so much,” Aerith called from beside the stove. “Another boy will fall into my church eventually.” 

“Hey.” Zack pressed his hand to his heart and pretended to be wounded. “Babe, that hurts.” 

Cloud laughed. He was envious of the easy way they had around each other. It was never easy to be around Sephiroth. But that didn’t mean he didn’t constantly want it, even if Sephiroth was usually painfully indifferent. 

“So what’s up?” Zack asked. 

Cloud looked away from him. “I tried to seduce Sephiroth,” he mumbled. 

“What?” Aerith called. “I can’t hear you over the bacon frying.” 

“He said he tried to seduce Sephiroth, babe,” Zack yelled, probably loud enough for the entire block of apartments to overhear. Cloud buried his face in his hands and wished for the quiet and anonymity of an early grave. “So what happened, Cloud?” 

“I was...ridiculous. He wasn’t into it.” Cloud shrugged, trying to pretend like it was no big deal. “I’m sure it happens to him all the time.”

Zack was usually an irreverent guy, charming and cheerful, but he could also be sharply perceptive when the mood struck him. Right now, his eyes were focused on Cloud with a curious intensity that made him feel like he was caught in a sniper’s crosshairs. 

“He wasn’t into it?” Zack asked. “Are you sure?” 

“Think I’d know,” Cloud said, annoyed. 

“Were there....” Zack thought for a moment. “Extenuating circumstances?” 

Cloud did not want to tell Zack about the whole Hojo fiasco--the story was humiliating enough without revealing that his inhibitions had been drugged away, leaving him to act on his deepest desires without restraint. 

“I’m just asking because I can’t figure out why Sephiroth would turn you down.” Zack scratched his head, looking almost comically puzzled. 

“Uh, ‘cause he doesn’t want me,” Cloud explained. “Duh.” 

“Dude. Sephiroth has been wanting to jump you since you started here,” Zack said. “Back when we were in Wutai there were a couple of times when I thought he was gonna throw you over his shoulder and carry you off into the jungle.” 

Cloud blinked at him. “You’re kidding.” 

“One time Genesis asked me who that “hot Third Class with the broadsword” was, and Sephiroth actually growled at him.” 

“Zack…” Cloud wasn’t sure if he should believe this--it sounded too outrageous to be true. 

“And of course there’s your sword,” Zack said. “You can’t overlook that.” 

“What about my sword?” Cloud asked. “I mean, Sephiroth did technically give it to me, but he said it was just something Shinra R&D had lying around.” 

“He’s afraid of love,” Aerith said from the kitchen. “That’s why he won’t let himself tell you the truth.” 

“That’s what he said?” Zack was staring at him in amazement. “No way, man. We had to hunt down one of those WEAPONS that came out of the earth when Shinra tapped the Lifestream in the North Crater. He made me fly the helicopter so he could chase it down and murder it for your sword.” 

Cloud blinked at him. “You’re making that up.” 

“I am so not. Look, I don’t know what happened with you, but talk to him, okay? I want you guys to be happy.” 

“Thanks, Zack,” Cloud said quietly. “I mean it.” 

#

Cloud decided to take Zack’s advice. At the very least, he had to talk to Sephiroth about the sword, if only to thank him properly for going to so much trouble. Ultima Weapon was the finest weapon Cloud had ever used—its quality rivaled Angeal’s Buster Sword and Genesis’s Rapier. But Sephiroth had handed it over so casually, with a dismissive comment about how it had just been “lying there” in the R&D department, and Cloud had never thought to question it. 

The problem was that he had no idea how to get in touch with Sephiroth. He didn’t even have the proper security clearance to get to Sephiroth’s apartment unless someone gave him temporary authorization like Hojo had last night. He certainly didn’t have Sephiroth’s number. 

Fortunately, he was still on the First Class floor. He’d left Zack and Aerith to their pancakes, grabbing a few strips of bacon before heading out. He wanted to resolve this thing with Sephiroth before he lost his nerve. 

He walked slowly through the hallways, trying to look like he belonged. As he approached the end of the corridor, he heard the dramatic strains of an opera--the swelling of an orchestra and high pitched vocals--from behind the furthest door. 

He hesitated for a moment, but then decided he couldn’t embarrass himself any more than he already did last night. He knocked hard on the door. 

After a moment, Genesis Rhapsodos opened it, resplendent in a red dressing gown that somehow didn’t clash with his hair, his bright eyes flashing somewhere between amusement and annoyance. 

“Sir.” Cloud saluted, standing at attention. 

“Hello...” Genesis trailed off, squinting at him, then waved his hand carelessly. “I’m sorry. It’s too early in the morning for me to pretend to know who you are. What do you want?” 

“Good morning, sir. I’m sorry to bother you, but I--”

“Oh, I do know you.” Genesis grinned wickedly. “You’re Sephiroth’s little Third Class pet. It’s the hair that gives you away, you know.” 

“Um, what?” It took Cloud a moment to catch up with the second person this morning to imply that he and Sephiroth had something more than a brusque but professional relationship. 

“Oh, that’s right, you’re not supposed to know.” Genesis didn’t sound like he had the slightest bit of regret. “Our dear General is not afraid of legions of Wutaian ninjas with poisoned shuriken, but a little intimacy is enough to send him running for the hills.”

That did actually sound a lot like what happened this morning, Cloud realized. 

“I, uh, want to talk to him,” Cloud said. “Do you think you could give me his number?” 

“You don’t have it?” Genesis gave him a look of utter shock that was probably only half-feigned. 

Cloud shrugged. “They don’t exactly give it out to Third Class SOLDIERs.” 

“I suppose not. Well, I don’t have it either, despite being his closest friend in the world.” Genesis sounded annoyed and a little hurt. It was quickly hidden behind a dazzling smirk. “But I do know the code to his front door.” 

#

“It’s not a good idea to sneak up on him,” Genesis said, keying in the code to Sephiroth’s door. After a moment, the keypad beeped, and the door slid open. 

“Right,” Cloud said nervously. He was starting to wonder if he really wanted to do this, or if he should just run for it before he made things worse. But Genesis grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him through the door. 

“Sephiroth, darling, I’ve brought you a gift,” Genesis said. 

“How many times do I have to tell you to knock, Gen?” Sephiroth replied, stepping through the glass doorway that led to the balcony. “I…” He trailed off, his eyes on Cloud. 

“Stop gawking,” Genesis said, glancing at Cloud. “It’s impolite.” 

With some effort, Cloud shut his mouth. Sephiroth was standing before him, shirtless. But it wasn’t his flawless pale skin and well defined muscles that had stolen Cloud’s breath. It was the wing. Taller than Sephiroth and covered in iridescent black feathers, it loomed behind him like a living shadow. 

It was  _ gorgeous.  _

“I’ll leave you to it,” Genesis said with a smirk. “But if this sad little chocobo shows up on my doorstep again telling me you’ve treated him poorly, I may have to take him under  _ my  _ wing.” 

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed, and he gave Genesis a look that would send most people running for cover. But Genesis just winked at him before making a dramatic exit. 

Leaving Sephiroth and Cloud together in the awkward silence. 

“Cloud…” Sephiroth began, stepping forward. The wing dematerialized into thin air, and Cloud found it oddly disappointing to see it go. At least now he knew why the doorways in this place were all so tall. 

“I just...wanted to thank you,” Cloud said hastily. “Zack told me how you got Ultima Weapon for me. And...I wanted to make sure you know that I appreciate it.”

Sephiroth nodded. 

“And I know you don’t really trust anybody,” Cloud said. He thought about everything Zack had told him about Sephiroth over the years, about the fact that Sephiroth’s closest friend didn’t even have his phone number. “But...if you ever--I mean, you could trust me. I’d follow you anywhere, General.” 

Sephiroth studied him like he was some strange, improbable new life form. “Why?” 

“Dunno. That’s just how I feel.” 

“You know if we had a relationship, it would be impossible to keep it a secret,” Sephiroth said. “It would put you in danger, because Shinra would do anything to keep me on a leash.” 

“With all due respect, sir. If you worked with me instead of against me, we could probably take on everything Shinra’s got and win.” 

Sephiroth gave him a flicker of a smile, but it was quickly hidden. “Your fellow SOLDIERS will not be forgiving. When you make First Class, they’ll say it’s because you slept with me.” 

Cloud had already considered that outcome, and found he didn’t really care. And if Sephiroth’s feelings had been so obvious to Zack and Genesis, half of SOLDIER probably knew already. 

“As long as you don’t think so, sir,” Cloud said. 

“I don’t know how to take care of someone in a romantic relationship and I’m probably incapable of love,” Sephiroth said. “I can’t imagine that I would make you happy.” 

Cloud shrugged. “Happier than I’d be without you.” 

“I’m not entirely human, Cloud.”

“What, because you’re crazy strong and have a wing?” Cloud grinned. “Both of those things are so fuckin hot, sir. You have no idea.” 

“Really?” In an instant, the wing was just there, where there had only been empty space before. Cloud had so many questions, but he set them aside in favor of stepping closer, cautiously like Sephiroth was a chocobo that might spook at a bold approach. 

“I got issues too,” Cloud said, putting his arms around Sephiroth’s neck. “I’ve got a short fuse. I’m cocky and a little reckless. I come from the sticks and I don’t ever know which fuckin fork to use at fancy dinners. And--”

Sephiroth kissed him. A gentle press of his lips that quickly became something deeper and more passionate. Cloud quickly found himself pressed up against a wall, Sephiroth’s hands under his thighs, lifting him. He wrapped his legs around Sephiroth’s waist and leaned his head back so Sephiroth could move his attentions to his neck, rough kisses and a gentle scrape of teeth on Cloud’s skin. 

“Can I touch it?” Cloud asked. 

Sephiroth pulled away slightly to look at him. His pupils were hugely dilated like a cat’s, leaving only a ring of brilliant green iris at the edges. 

“Your wing,” Cloud clarified. “Can I?”

Sephiroth nodded. 

Cloud carefully ran his hand over the dark feathers. They were exquisite, fine and intricately placed. He curled his fingers, sliding them between the large feathers and rubbing the downy layer beneath like he would to caress a chocobo. 

Sephiroth made a soft noise that was somewhere between a moan and a growl, and Cloud was about to apologize, but found himself airborne, thrown roughly over Sephiroth’s left shoulder and carried off to the bedroom. 

He found he had no complaints about that at all. 

#

Cloud was naked,  _ lying in the General’s bed _ , harder than he thought he’d ever been in his life and barely able to believe his luck. His wrists were crossed above his head, pinned there only by Sephiroth’s order to keep still. 

Sephiroth was naked, and at his request, he hadn’t dematerialized his wing. It loomed over his shoulder, dark and glorious. If Cloud had known, when he was sixteen years old and worshipping the General from afar, that this would happen, his brain would probably have overloaded and shut down entirely. 

“Look at you,” Sephiroth said, kneeling between Cloud’s legs, running his right hand over Cloud’s thigh. His left, the elegant fingers slick with lube, sought out Cloud’s entrance, brushing it gently--nothing more than a tease. “You’re so strong. Your body and your mind. And here you are, opening your legs for me, letting me inside you.” 

He pushed his finger inside, slowly, and Cloud whimpered. It was a strange feeling, but not entirely unpleasant, and made infinitely better by the fact that it was  _ Sephiroth _ doing it. 

“Okay?” Sephiroth asked, watching him carefully. 

“Yeah,” Cloud said, breathlessly. “It’s just...new. I’ve never done this before.” 

Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. “Never like this, or never…?” 

“I been hung up on you since I was sixteen,” Cloud mumbled, slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t really...wanna do it with anyone else.” 

Sephiroth drew in a sharp breath. “I suppose there really is no justice in the world,” he murmured, and Cloud moaned as he resumed his attentions, curling his finger in such a way that made the world white at the edges as pleasure shot through Cloud. “That a monster like me would be given something so precious.” 

Cloud wanted to say something like, “you’re not a monster,” but it wasn’t really true and of course Sephiroth knew that. The pleasure overwhelmed him before he could think of the right response, and his thoughts evaporated entirely. 

Sephiroth took his time, and when he did finally fuck Cloud, it was better than Cloud thought his first time could be. He watched Cloud with a dark intensity, that strange, dangerous edge of his clear to see. It was hotter than it had any right to be--to know that Sephiroth could cut him down without breaking a sweat and yet was trembling in his arms, like the pleasure he took from Cloud’s body was enough to render him helpless. 

Afterwards, Sephiroth curled his body around Cloud’s like a shell, his wing draped over them both like a feathered blanket. 

“Someday I’m going to murder Hojo,” Sephiroth said, like he was discussing his dinner plans. “But...I don’t think I’ll make him suffer.” 

Cloud laughed. He wondered if Sephiroth was joking or if Hojo’s days really were numbered, but decided he didn’t really care. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come be my friend on tumblr [@cruellae-fics ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cruellae-fics)


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